


Don't lose your head

by Mazekey



Series: How many feathers in a murder?  (ONE SHOTS) [1]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Metahumans, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Really Character Death, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mazekey/pseuds/Mazekey
Summary: He had waited long enough. This was the day Oswald had decided he would be finally coming out to his friend. Ed deserved to know. Sure, their relationship had been turbulent at best but after 14 years of friendship, through the good, the bad and the ugly, they'd still managed to stay together. He proved himself to be trustworthyThings don't go as planned.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Series: How many feathers in a murder?  (ONE SHOTS) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834393
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	Don't lose your head

**Author's Note:**

> Short fic based on a little theory of mine. Hope you enjoy.

He had waited long enough. This was the day Oswald had decided he would be finally coming out to his friend. Ed deserved to know. Sure, their relationship had been turbulent at best but after 14 years of friendship, through the good, the bad and the ugly, they'd still managed to stay together. He proved himself to be trustworthy of the truth, a truth even his mother hadn't know, a reality his father had never been aware of. He hadn't trusted this knowledge to anyone else which is why he was a little anxious. Yes, he trusted Edward, the two of them had been in good terms ever since they escaped their respective prisons, he just didn't want Ed to think any less of him. 

As per usual, Oswald was the one who had to go to Edward. He was alone since the Riddler had a strict rule about not letting others know about his hideout, even if he couldn't of anyone else who would live in a factory with a giant green question mark in front. He was past questioning his friend's antics by now. 

The kingpin made his way to the front door where a panel displayed a riddle in green: What only stalks you in the light? 

'A shadow', Oswald typed with ease and then walked in. Truth be told, he had become a lot better at riddles since he became friends with Ed. He didn't consider that a good thing though it wasn't necessarily bad either.

Edward wasn't too hard to find. The man was hunched over his workbench figuring out the last details of his next trap to try and defeat their newest enemy who called himself the batman. He'd been muttering to himself and likely too caught up in his own mind to realize someone was approaching from behind until his partner called his name, "Ed?" 

The man in a green coat stopped and turned to look at the smaller male with large brown eyes behind his thick green glasses, "Oswald? I didn't expect you to come here so soon. I'm not finished with our project, I'm afraid."

Oswald swayed his gloved hand to the side dismissively, "it's alright, that is not the reason behind my sudden appeareance, you see-" Oswald took a step forward closer to Edward, "we need to talk." 

Edward blinked with suspicion, "about what? Is something wrong?" 

"No, not wrong. I just- there is something I need to tell you, something that I should probably have told you a long time ago." He breathed in and out. 

"Very well," Edward said and straightened his back and clothes before staring at his partner, "what is it?" 

Oswald hesitated for a moment. It was now or never. Without looking the other man in the eyes, he grabbed both of Ed's hands and held them tightly. They were sweaty. Edward was probably as nervous as he was and he couldn't imagine that delaying it was doing him any good. "I'm just going to go straight to the point for both of our sakes," he finally gathered enough courage to look Edward in the face. He couldn't remember when had been the last time he'd seen him so red and sweaty. God, why was HE so nervous? "Edward Nygma, I, Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot am-" 

"A DEAD MAN!" Oswald let go of Edward in a hurry and turned around to look at the man behind him, a man he hadn't really thought about in the past 11 years or even before that but he did recognize him. If he remembered correctly he went by headhunter and the Penguin was somewhat responsible for the loss of his eye. He was also somewhat responsible for leaving the front door unlocked. Oops. Perhaps the riddles weren't so dumb after all. "Remember me, bitch?!" The larger man lifted his gun and all the reaction time he had was used lifting his arms to protect Edward. 

"No!" Edward screamed as the bullet came towards them and pierced Oswald's throat. His body fell back and his ears rang while his vision turned dark around the corners. 

"Hah! Guess you ain't bulletproof after all! So long, Penguin," Headhunter turned around, "now we are even." 

Edward let out a roar before pulling out the pistol he kept on him all times and then shooting. Oswald thought the image would have been extremely cool if he hadn't missed all of the shots on a target the size of a mountain. Sure, Ed had poor aim but for fucks sake, this was way too much. Maybe it was just the pain from the newly formed hole or his difficulty to breathe, let alone speak as he coughed out enough blood to feed a vampire for weeks but goddammit, he was annoyed. Not scared or sad, just fucking pissed. 

Edward's attention turned to him once more and he could see not so clearly due to all the dancing lights around his vision that his best friend didn't share his feeling. Tears fell from behind his glasses as he cradled his best friend with shaky, now red hands, "Oswald," his voice came out as a broken sob as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding, "Oswald, please, I can't do this without you," he begged, "don't leave me! I can't- I-" he was unable to continue as his sobs turned into coughing. 

Oswald was flattered, really, he'd never seen his best friend cry and he certainly didn't expect him to cry like this for him of all people. The problem was, the Penguin was not going anywhere. He wasn't eve n dying. That was what he had gone there for in the first place: Oswald Cobblepot was a metahuman, someone with super human abilities like, in his case, fast regeneration. Similarly to most of Gotham's metahumans, he hadn't been born with his condition, rather it was forced upon him along Strange's treatment during his first stay in the asylum. It wasn't just his mind that the doctor had been trying to fix. He didn't realize his abilities right away, in fact, he believed himself to be just as normal as any other gothamite for over a year until he was taken to a river one afternoon, shot and then dumped inside. Ivy didn't understand either nor did she care enough to try to. It wasn't until he found his torturer that he discovered the truth: He'd been altered just like Fish or Theo while still alive. Unfortunately, his skill wasn't perfect, it was difficult for him to heal up bones or entire organs which was why his eye had come out imperfect and it required a lot of energy, part of the reason why he gained several pounds while in Blackgate, but a small bullet wound like this was nothing he couldn't heal given enough time. The problem was, he no longer had a way to communicate any of that to his partner in crime who was still convinced that in a few minutes the Penguin would be no more.

"Why did you have to leave the goddamn door open?!" There we go, that wsd a lot more like the Edward he knew. Oswald was just glad Edward hadn't been hurt in the process. "Why don't you EVER do what I tell you to?! I mean, I know why and yeah, you have all the reason not to trust me, but it's true that I didn't- I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Oswald Cobblepot, because I've since long realized that a world without you is not a world worth living in. You're more than just my best friend. You are the answer to every riddle. The reason behind every why. The Penguin to my Riddler," he sobbed, "you have no idea how much I care about you, Oswald, and how much that scares me but being without you scares me so much more. Fuck!" Edward shouted and leaned down with his forehead against Oswald's. If he hadn't been losing so much blood, he would be blushing furiously. His heart was definitely racing for more than one reason. "I love you, Oswald. I have loved you since the beginning but I was too much of a fool to realize it back then. Then I was too much of a coward," he held the kingpin's hand. "Please, don't leave me, Oswald. Let me be selfish. Let me have this, God, anyone, if you can hear me don't take him from me. Don't go to a place I cannot follow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner" the larger man's tears kept falling on the other's face. 

Timid and shakily, Oswald reached to cup the other's cheek. With a sniff, Edward opened his eyes. The wound was bleeding a lot less and it even seemed smaller. "W-what?" 

'Not dying,' Oswald gestured. Thank God they had both learned to use sign for Martin's sake. 'This what I want to tell you. Not dying. Can't die. I heal.' 

Edward blinked several times as he tried to understand, "but- how?!" 

'Strange,' Oswald gestured and forced a smile that turned into cough. 'He did to me what he did to Fish and others. Can't die. This is what I wanted to tell you.'

"O-oh." From pale, Edward's face grew exponentially redder, "so you didn't come here to confess your feelings for me?" 

'No.' 

"And you aren't dying." 

'Nope again.'

"And I just confessed my feelings for you." 

Oswald smirked, 'we have a winner.' 

"O-oh dear." Edward got to his feet in a quick movement and the injured man let out an audible grunt as his head hit the floor. 

'Ouch! I still feel pain!' 

"I- r-right, I'm going to- to just- grab the first aid kit?' It was so rare to catch Edward's clumsy side anymore since he always seemed to be on top of every situation. It would be cute if it wasn't inappropriate for the situation and very painful. 

Oswald nodded to let the ex forensic scientist know that yes, he should get the first aid kit to help the bleeding man on the floor. 

As he waited for the other to return, the kingpin let the situation to sink in. Not only had Edward accepted him- he hoped he had accepted him- but he also loved him. 'Since the beginning,' he'd said. Maybe he should be mad to have been lied to for so long and yet, maybe because of the blood loss or due to how tired he'd been of their whole pretend game, he was just happy. Relieved and filled with joy. He would have wished the momebt never ended if the pain wasn't as excruciating as it was. 

Edward returned with the proper tools and specs that refused to meet Oswald's. Too bad. As soon as the other leaned in to clean his wound, the larger male pulled his best friend in and slammed their lips together into the sloppiest kiss of his life. Fish was probably rolling in her grave but he just couldn't resist it. He held them there for as long as his lungs could hold before releasing the man in green. He fell back on his hands, panting with his glasses half falling off and crimson cheeks. "O-Oswald!" His voice probably came out more highpitched than he had wanted to. Now THAT was adorable. 

Finally able to grin properly, Oswald closed his eyes and relaxed. 'Red fits you very well, old friend. Get ready, because once I can speak again you are going to be flustered everyday, starting off by when I tell you that I love you too.' He opened his eyes to look at Ed who was now smiling as well. 

"You do?" He asked both timid and awkard. Edward had no idea how gorgeous his boyish almost innocent charm could be. 

'I do. Now chop chop. I'm tired of waiting.' 


End file.
